Alleged NPA members raid police station in N. Samar; 2 cops hurt

PALO, Leyte—Two policemen were wounded early Friday morning when communist rebels raided the police station in Lapinig town, Northern Samar.

Reports reaching the Police Regional Office in Eastern Visayas (PRO-8) based here identified the two policemen as PO2 Jerry Quilecol and PO1 Edizon Aguere.

Reports said about 100 members of the New People’s Army (NPA) armed with Uzi, M14, M16, M203 and K3 sub-machine gun overran the police station along the national highway at 1:15 a.m.

A 15-minute gun battle ensued, which hurt two policemen.

Insp. Noli Montebon, police chief of Lapinig town, and PO2 Mark Mejedo were initially reported missing but were later found.

Police said the two hid after they ran out of bullets.

Authorities have yet to determine what were taken from the police station since inventory was still underway, as of this posting.

It is the second time that the police station was raided by the NPA. On January 12, 2012, NPA raided the police station and took several firearms. Before fleeing, they opened fire at the house of then mayor Romualdo Menzon, killing his bodyguard and wounding two residents. /kga